Traditionally, the glove box is used to conceal stored items within the instrument panel of a vehicle. Glove boxes are positioned on the passenger side of the vehicle. This makes access by the driver difficult, and impossible when the vehicle is moving.
In the "center stack" area of the vehicle instrument panel, which is the center of the instrument panel, numerous vehicle interior systems are "stacked", such as the radio and HVAC (heating ventilation and air conditioning) systems and their respective controls, and sometimes a clock or other features. Moving the storage bin closer to the driver is difficult due to the location of the center stack. Some designs have addressed this problem by placing a storage compartment below the center stack, but this arrangement is so low in the vehicle that accessing items from this position takes the driver's eyes off the road for an extended period of time, which is, of course, undesirable.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide concealed storage closer to the driver in a vehicle in a position which provides the driver with easy access to the contents of the storage area while seated in the driver seat.